The prior art is documented with examples of linear seat recliners. As is further known, most such seat recliners require a power input in order to cycle such as a threaded rod which influences a seat back pivotally connected to a frame location of a seat bottom.
Examples of such power linear seat recliner assemblies are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,199,764 and 4,962,963, both to Robinson, and which controllably adjusts the angular position of a seat back relative to a seat cushion. A master recliner mechanism includes an integrally mounted motor, a slave recliner mechanism, and an actuator cable connecting the slave and master recliner mechanisms for transmitting torque from the motor to the slave recliner mechanism. The motor simultaneously drives each of the recliner mechanisms, each of which having a threaded rod assembly interconnected to a transmission assembly for providing desired speed reduction and linear reciprocal movement of the rod.
Additional manual linear type seat recliners are known and include such as that disclosed in Conroy U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,781 which teaches a polygonal cross sectional shaped rod pivotally connected to the seat back. A nut exhibits a generally fixed position relative to the seat cushion and threadably engages around the rod. The nut is movable to first and second angular positions relative to the rod such that, and in the first position, the nut engages the rod at the threaded apices to lock the rod in position relative to the nut. Upon being rotated to the second position, the rod is released for adjusting the angular position of the seat back.
Also shown in Pickles U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,461 is an infinitely adjustable linear actuator which adjusts the relative position of two relatively movable components of a vehicle seat. The linear actuator includes a rotatable element fixedly mounted about a threaded shaft. First and second moving members are mounted within a housing, disposed on opposite sides of an annular collar formed on the rotatable element. The moving members are movable between a first position in which they disengage the rotatable element from bearing surfaces at opposite ends of the housing to form a high rotational resistance connection preventing rotation of the rotatable element and the intereconnected threaded shaft and a second position in which the moving members are spaced from the rotatable element to enable the rotatable element to move axially into low resistance engagement with the bearings in the housing to enable free rotation of the rotatable element and the threaded shaft.